Lastminute.com

Many of us would think of lastminute.com as being a provider of only cheap and instant holidays and other travel related services.

This is where we are mistaken. lastminute.com provides much more than just Travel related services.

I first became aware of this site whilst playing some of the games on Tombola. Lastminute.com is the sponsor of one of the games called “Zap”.
I was really very impressed with the site and would like to elaborate more on the services that they offer.

The major links run down the left hand side of the homepage and some of these are:

1) Holidays – As the name implies this section covers various holiday packages available. They have a very useful and detailed search feature on this page. You need to enter; Date you intend to depart, Select maximum date variation, Where you want to leave from, Your destination, Duration of stay required, Type of accommodation required, and amount you are willing to spend. This search feature can give you a precise list of holidays available to you since the questions are very detailed. If you want a more universal listing you simply select the lowest level settings, in this case “I Don’t Mind, Show All and Any”.
Prices are competitive and they certainly do provide some unique offers.

2) Hotels & Flights
Again both of these links are very similar to the Holiday link in that they provide a detailed search feature which provides you with the closest choices that suit your interests and off course your pocket.

3) Top Destinations
As the name implicate this provides you with a list of top destinations alongwith all relevant information such as, prices, full tour details, flights etc.

4) Restaurants
A large variety of restaurants to suit your taste buds. Search feature is also available here.

5) Auctions
One of the more interesting sections this. First you will need to register with them. This process just requires you to provide basic details and you will then be assigned with a password.
You then need to access the relevant page and you can then bid for your desired holiday, hotel etc. You select what you require, specify a quantity and confirm your bid amount. Keep on checking the site to see if your bid has been accepted or if you’ve been outbid. If you have indeed been outbid you can increase your bid.
I am sure that many a bargain can be obtained here. Bids start from as low as £1.00.

6) Going Out
This provides detailed sub-sections were you can find listings of many things to do if you are planning a day out. These include Cinema/Theater guides, Restaurants guides, Sites and parks to visit, etc etc. You have a search feature here aswell.

7) Staying In
Again here you can access very useful information if you intend to stay at home. These include; TV Listings, Eat-In guide (restaurants that do home delivery services), DVD Rental companies located close to you, etc etc.
One of the listings that caught my eye here was the Adult Fun section. Here you can purchase adult oriented and unique material such as “Intimate – The Love Game”, “Orgasm Slippers”, “Foreplay Dice” and the likes. Some really kinky and funny stuff here and something which I have never seen on any other similar website previously.

8) Sports
Coverage of latest sport events. Articles, news, scores etc. To be honest I did not cover this section much as I doubt I would ever access this site if I wanted to check out the sport news.

9) Gifts
This section provides you with many a different variety of gifts. The items offered are indeed different from those offered on other sites. Areas covered are; Drinks, Gadgets & Electronics, Inspiration, DVD & CD’s, Emergency gifts, Gourmet gifts, Gift experiences and Flowers & Balloons.
One thing that caught my eye on this page was the listing of “Yesterday’s Top Selling Gift” – A CANISTER OF OXYGEN. The reason for this being the top selling gift is obviously associated with the recent events in America.

The rest of the homepage is made up with special offers, offers of the day, Bestsellers etc.

Overall I find this site very much different from the others operating in the same field.
They have strived to make it more fun and providing additional sections and information. All items can be purchased online and they accept the maximum variety of Credit Cards (including American Express which many companies do not accept due to the high charges to them).

In essence it is a site that I could and would use even if I were not interested in finding out about holidays, tours or hotels and this obviously was the concept and theory of lastminute.com. Many of the products offered are also unique and fun and this gives this site an extra bit of life.

I think they have done a great job and I highly recommend this site to all members and visitors.